Viking
River Cruises recently
announced it has placed an order for 10 additional Viking Longships,
bringing the total number of new ships launching next year to 10 and
the number launching in 2014 to eight. The launch plan will easily
surpass the industry record Viking set in 2012 with the introduction
of six new ships in a single season. By the end of 2014 the company
will have introduced a total of 24 new ships in a three-year period,
a fleet expansion unprecedented in the cruise industry.
“The
river cruise segment is rapidly growing, as more travelers are
inspired to experience old destinations in a new way,” said
Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking River Cruises. “Because of the
overwhelmingly positive response we have seen from our passengers in
the first season of our revolutionary new Viking Longships, we are
pleased to continue our expansion to meet that demand.”
Viking
plans to inaugurate the first eight Viking Longships of 2013 in a
first-of-its-kind simultaneous christening ceremony in late March in
Amsterdam. The two newest ships, Viking Baldur and Viking Magni, will
join the fleet in late August and September, respectively. Both
vessels will sail Viking’s 15-day Grand
European Tour (Amsterdam-Budapest),
with Viking Baldur also sailing the 8-day Rhine
Getaway (Amsterdam-Basel)
and Viking Magni also sailing the 8-dayDanube
Waltz (Passau-Budapest).
The eight new ships in 2014 will also sail Viking’s most popular
itineraries in Europe.
Source:
Viking River Cruises
